Family
Smith is the son of the late Derek Smith, a former swingman of nine-year NBA and University of Louisville fame. The elder Smith was a starting forward on Louisville's 1980 NCAA championship team. He also played for the Cardinals in the 1982 Final Four. He was a second-round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors in 1982 and went on to play for the San Diego and Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics before retiring in 1991. His career ended prematurely due to knee problems.
Nolan Smith's father died when he was eight years old, of a heart attack at age 34 while they were on a cruise ship near Bermuda. Nolan said: "I thought he was going to sleep. I saw him from far away when it happened. I got closer, and I saw them close his eyes."
Smith has a tattoo on his right arm, with his father's likeness and the words: "Forever Watching." He said: "When I take the court, I look down at my tattoo. ... I know he's always with me, every game."
Read more about this topic: Nolan Smith
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“What we often take to be family values—the work ethic, honesty, clean living, marital fidelity, and individual responsibility—are in fact social, religious, or cultural values. To be sure, these values are transmitted by parents to their children and are familial in that sense. They do not, however, originate within the family. It is the value of close relationships with other family members, and the importance of these bonds relative to other needs.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“If it had not been for storytelling, the black family would not have survived. It was the responsibility of the Uncle Remus types to transfer philosophies, attitudes, values, and advice, by way of storytelling using creatures in the woods as symbols.”
—Jackie Torrence (b. 1944)
“For every family had one cat at least in the bag.”
—Christopher Smart (1722–1771)